cmp6e

Anyone know anything about the renovations taking place in the wildlife lodges in Northern Tanzania? I've read so many bad reviews of the lodges, but I'm wondering if the renovations will be finished by my travel date in late August. If so, perhaps the rooms will provide better accomodation. I'd like more information so I can decide if I want to risk booking here despite the bad reviews.

pippa13

which "wildlife lodges" you mean?

Bill_H

What we were told by an outfitter who sends hundreds of guests out on the northern circuit each year is that his guests lodge many more complaints about the Wildlife Lodges than about Sopa and Serena lodges, say 5x as many complaints about food, lack of hot water, cleanliness, whatever. He said the attitude from the Wildlife Lodge staff was "Who cares? We don't." Also our driver told us he doesn't like staying there because the staff quarters aren't very good and he doesn't like the food, compared to other places.

So maybe the renovations have fixed some of the physical plant problems. Dunno what you do about the staff attitudes though.

Note that many people use the various Wildlife Lodges and have no complaints, and that they are maybe $80 - $120 per night less expensive than the next higher options like Sopa and Serena, so for many the cost savings are worth the effort.

Bill

net_warrior

Love your photos Bill.
I have stayed at the Lobo wildlife lodge for 3 nights.

Cleanliness good. Hot water at specific times as per Sopa lodges. The food was a bit chewy and yes, they were running out of food. The long awaited food convoy from Arusha was delayed. They made do, less meat meant less chewing. We were totally aware of the situation and had a great laugh about it

Now the staff, (the reason I am writing this) were all exemplary. One manager had an attitude problem but that was it. They did there very best to make our stay a pleasant one.

The lodge is basic but the view, situation and the wildlife around Lobo are great. Some of the high end tented camps in the Northern area lack the wildlife. Spend x amount more then drive to Lobo to do wildlife viewing. I don't think so.

Rant over

cmp6e

Thank you for your responses. I'm definitely looking at staying at the Lobo Wildlife Lodge because of its location and value over tented camps. It's good to hear that you've had a positive experience there. As for Seronera and Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodges, I'm still unsure about booking them because of all the bad things I've read. I'm not looking for luxury, but I don't want to risk a bad lodge situation distorting our memory of an otherwise great trip. I do hope that the renovations improve things. Please keep sending advice/relaying experiences; it's very helpful!

Leely

I've stayed at the Ngorongoro Wildlife 2x and Seronera 1x--they are what they are, although I preferred Seronera because it was less crowded (when we were there). You might see if you can mix lodges with camps and still get close to the price you desire; that way you can experience different things and decide for yourself. I didn't find the Wildlife lodges horrendous or anything, though.

Of course I much prefer tented camps, but budget does not always permit and/or location/season don't make sense.

I won't go into management issues as I'm an outsider, but probably staff morale could be improved with superior management. Still, we had very nice, kind staff service although frequently disorganized or scattered.

Have a great trip!